I would never make homemade pet food as the sole source of food for a cat. Too many ingredients (like taurine) in correct amounts necessary. This was just meant as a treat, for times when she won't eat anything else. It was the consistency I was going for, more than the liver. Other meat I tried doesn't process so silky smooth. Most of the veterinarian websites use the 5-7% number, but I can't find one scientific article they are referencing. Maybe a liver is 5-7% of the weight of an animal (with a liver) that a cat might catch and eat. Anyway, I'm not going to take a chance.
Don't say that, because I'm about to lose patience with the pill popping. She has spit it out the first time, all but one time out of 8. And tonight she did it twice. What is such a big deal about taking a stupid little pill? You'd think I was trying to kill her. I need a plan B. We used a pill plunger on the goats, but that was because they could bite through the bones in your fingers if they wanted to.
Try putting a little oil on the pill to slick it up, then shove in her mouth the furthest you can towards the back of throat, then rub/stroke her throat a little under her chin-- she will swallow it. An oily pill goes down easier than a dry pill. A Veterinarian showed me once many years ago, how to pill a cat and dog. It might take you a time or two to get your technique down, but it works. Good luck, I know it is frustrating.
Getting a cat to swallow a pill is beyond challenging. I think for my dog I wrapped it in something she would wolf down without even tasting. I think for my cat I shoved it in and held her mouth closed until she swallowed it, perhaps stroking her throat as though I were going to push it through. There really was no way besides brute force. Maybe that's why she liked to pee in my shoes. How many pills does your cat need before you're done?
I put soft butter on the last pill. This cat learned as a kitten that any food is a trick in order to catch her. You can never fool her with food. My mistake may be not using gravity to just drop the pill straight down in the center back of her throat. I try to place it there, and it always ends up on one side. I'll try that next time. My other cat you could just blow in her face a little and she'd swallow (Dr. Pol's method). Doesn't work with this one. She has to take one steroid pill (Prednisolone) a day, likely forever.
I've been using a compounding pharmacy for an antibiotic. One of the services they advertise is making meds palatable for pets...they compound it into a form (paste, liquid, treat) with flavorings the critter will tolerate. Here's their web page on that subject. You might ask your vet, or see if there's one in your region that could offer suggestions. There are not a lot of them around, but I gotta think they will ship the meds to you. Mine will (and has.)
Thanks John. I just checked, and Hawthorne pharmacy is a compounding pharmacy here in town. And they do pet meds. I'll ask the vet next Friday if that's a possibility. I just don't think you can count on this cat eating anything. One time she might. Next time she might not.
Cats are tough to home medicate no matter what you have to do to try and help them. They are little wild lions, tigers, panthers, etc., in little fur bodies. It seems like it is always a knife fight to help a sick cat. They can have wicked claws and sharp teeth, and they are not afraid to use them!
To be fair, Kitty doesn't bite, or growl, or strike at you. Just squirms and tries to get away, and the claws can cause collateral damage trying to escape. I would not keep a cat that behaved like some of those you see on YouTube. Lots of vets probably hate cats. Can't say I blame them. They probably treat them as second-class patients when it comes to routine exams. Another interesting thing on the UGA release papers. They think the high blood creatinine number was from a kidney injury (as in physical) they suspect happened during administration of anesthesia for the dental surgery. I thought anesthesia was always given IV in the front leg.
How do you physically injure a cat's kidney when administering anesthesia? That poor cat. As though they're not neurotic enough by birth...
It is now 9:00 am. Killing time until the cat's follow-up appointment at the UGA vet clinic at 10:30. I cannot miss this one. They are closed until January. The new cage is ready. It's really nice and roomy inside. Unfortunately it doesn't have a floor. Food, water, litter pan, some bedding, and the beach towel I use to wrap her in. I put it in the TV room, so I could watch her. Make sure she doesn't hurt herself trying to get out. How to get her inside? I couldn't miss the very slim chance she might just walk in herself the first time. So I sleep on the floor in front of the cage watching TV. With the cage door open. Set the alarm for 5:30. Five hours ought to be enough time to catch her. Lo and behold, around 5:00, she walks right over me and into the cage. I may never get another chance. Reach over and slam the door. She goes ballistic. She has managed to tip the litter pan up, spill most of the litter, and spread it out evenly all over the floor, apparently thinking she could dig out from under the cage. Tipped her food dish. Dry food scattered all over. Dry food in the water dish. Digging in the water dish. I was going to get rid of this rug anyway. Just hoped to have a new one ready first. She tried to chew through the wire in the cage. Losing a few more teeth might not be the worst thing. Chewed the blanket I put in for bedding. Chewing up the towel. Briefly there was a string hanging out her mouth. It's gone now. Please don't do that again. Maybe a smaller area of confinement would have been better. But for 5 hours? It's a good thing I started early, because she has finally settled down just a little. This is not over yet by any means. I still have to get her out of there and into the carrier. There is a good chance she will bolt out the cage door before I can get in, so I should start that early too. I will have to close the door of the TV room. If she gets out of the cage it will be a disaster. She will climb the walls. Catching her from the front is dangerous. It's the only time she gets a little aggressive. I'm not afraid of scratches or bites. I'm afraid I'll hurt her trying to secure her. She is unbelievably strong, flexible, and squirmy. It's like trying to hold furry jello with claws and kicking feet. I'm literally shaking right now thinking about it.